Neo's Inferno
by venividivici10andibliniy
Summary: The One is dead, and all are in despair. A figure from his past comes back and changes Trinity's world. FOREVER. Meanwhile, there are dark forces at work. In order to save the world once more, they must all join forces against impossible odds... First co author story, so can you read? A review would be nice as well!
1. Chapter 1

**ibliniy: Just so you know, this takes place after the third movie. I think we're doing alternating chapters.**

**venividivici10: I thought that's what we agreed...**

**ibliniy: Whatsapp is confusing...**

This was it. The day. The hour. The moment.

Neo's funeral.

With shaking hands, Trinity pulled on her clothes, which she had dyed black. She let her feet touch the floor of the Neb, the coldness seeping into her. She was so aware of everything. Her breath misting in front of her. The tiny creaks of their ship. The soft tapping of someone outside her room, impatient but waiting.

"Trinity?" It was Morpheus, whispering through the door. "It's time." His footsteps faded away.

For a moment she sat there, her body refusing to move. If she did this, if she went out and faced all those people, she would be accepting Neo's death. Accepting that her One was dead. Her love. Accepting that she would never look into those deep brown doe eyes again.

She moved suddenly. This wasn't her, this wasn't Trinity. Trinity was strong, fearless. Not some weepy, clingy girl. Neo would want her to do this. Neo would want her to face the crowds. If she wasn't going out there for herself, she was doing it for Neo. She walked out of her room, frowning slightly as the artificial light hit her eyes, and she took a deep breath as she composed herself.

"We're with you Trin," came a voice from behind her,and she knew it was Tank and the others. Her faithful friends. You couldn't find another bunch like 'em. She gritted her teeth and walked out. No turning back. Ever.

The crowds stared at her as she went by. Trinity knew for a fact, from Tank's and Apoc's complaints, that Neo rarely shut up about her while she was away. The whole city must have known how close they were. She missed him.

Some patted her on the arm, others whispered, stared on. She ignored all of them, willing her knees not to give away as she walked up the steps where Morpheus and the council were waiting.

"I see Smith isn't here," said Apoc.

"Good," she muttered through gritted teeth, "Otherwise I would have killed the fucking idiot myself."

This earned some laughter anyone and everyone who heard. Trinity could be formidable and funny when she wanted.

She stood with weak knees throughout the entire ceremony. There was no body; man and machine alike hadn't been able to find it. In a way, Trinity was glad. Her image of Neo would always be of him gazing at her, whispering in her ear, and generally being lovely to everyone he met. But then again, his body would be lost and out there somewhere. She pushed away the unwanted thoughts. Neo was always going to be with her, watching her. For them, their love was eternal.

The ceremony ended and the time of mourning had begun. She heard nothing; instead scanning the crowd, waiting for a familiar face to appear. Anyone, any person at all.

"Trinity. Trin," hissed Switch, shaking her friend slightly. She jumped when Trinity glared at her then stared back out into the crowd.

Because she saw Neo in the crowd. Black hair, deep brown doe eyes. He was there.

"Trinity," said Morpheus. "He's not coming back. The One's journey is over."

Her eyes dropped, and she jumped off the stage, landing with a thud. Her weak real world muscles did her proud; she managed to walk off without the slightest pain in her knees. Head held high, she managed to keep her composure until she had calmly declined her friend's requests to talk, and had shut the door behind her.

Then, she broke down. Tears streamed unchecked, dripping onto her bed.

"Why did you leave me?" she whisper screamed, her voice coming out croaky and distorted "I loved you! It's not fair!" She pulled at her hair, glaring at everything Neo had left behind. It was just too... normal. A flare went up inside her. She needed to destroy this-now.

Aria disappeared back into her ship, The Shadow, still clutching her well used sketch book tightly. Leaning against the door, she allowed her dark hair to fall across her shoulder, hiding her eyes.

Her deep, brown doe eyes.

"Hey, Ari. How was the expedition?" It was Chris, leaning against the doorway. He about 6ft, a bit taller than her. She was 5ft 8". His brown hair looked red in the light, and his dark eyes were full of concern. He was the only one she'd told, about her father. Brief flashes, whispered words. And hands, hands that stroked her hair in the dark stormy night. She had told him everything she remembered. Aria felt a special attachment to her father, her love unconditional, despite his lack of presence in life.

"Went well," Aria replied. She kept her 'Matrix' name, as the others called it, purely because her father gave it to her. She could vaguely remember that it had something to do with her being special and different. "Saw the girlfriend, but the guy wasn't there." She carefully avoided calling Neo 'dad' in case she was pursuing the wrong guy. "I'm going to talk to her now."

"OK..." said Chris, wiping his oiled hands on his green t-shirt. "But be careful."

She nodded, left the ship, and went back into the crowd. Aria attracted a lot of stares from others, mainly because she was prettier than the other girls, with her long hair and eyelashes, and full lips, compared to their short hair and thin frames. But despite that, no one pointed her out and she made it to a ship called the Neb safely.

"Excuse me?" she stammered, looking around the door.

A woman, about 40, came out of her room. It was the girlfriend. "What?" she snapped. Her eyes were red rimmed, like she'd been crying.

Aria took a deep breath. "I'm looking for Neo. I think I have something to tell him."

"You think?" said the girlfriend, raising her eyebrows.

"W-well, I'm not sure, I just need to conf- Is that him?" She spotted a picture of Neo taped to the wall. They looked so alike! Not to mention she could almost remember his face. Her phantom father and Neo practically matched.

"Yeah, it's him. Whaddaya want? He's dead."

"What?" Her heart dropped. "Dead," she choked out. "He's dead." And she ran, allowing the tears to fall freely. There was nothing left for her anymore. Why did she leave the Matrix in the first place? She couldn't even remember. All she wanted was that face, those hands, the touch of her father.

A dead man.

**ibliniy: Lots of family feels! I hope you liked the first chapter! There is a greater plot to it! **

**venividivici10: I'm doing the non-canon romance pairings!**

**ibliniy: Get ready!**

**Laters,**

**ibliniy and venividivici10 xxx**


	2. Chapter 2

Christian, or Swift as they called him, took off his trainers, and made his way to see Aria. He wiped the sweat off his forhead as he knocked on Aria's door. Aria tentatively opened the door, her pale hands shaking, and her beautiful eyes red-rimmed from crying. Her hair was swept back into a ponytail-something she only did when she was in deep distress.

"Hey princess," Said Chris.  
Aria sniffed, then let Chris in. He pulled his best friend into a bear hug, letting her cry on him for a bit. "What happened?' Asked Chris. Aria stiffened, he wondered if he had asked too soon. The wound must be deep, he deduced. He tilted Aria's chin up, and stared into her deep brown eyes.

Just then, Callie, the impatient one, knocked firmly on the door. Pressing her cheek to it, she called out "Dinner is ready! Oh! Grif found a stray," Callie left to get Griffin, her footsteps echoing as she marched down the ship's hall.

Aria had set to work, drying her tears, then applying several layers of makeup to hide the fact that she had been crying. Luckily, she did not have any on before hand, else it would have smudged. Chris sat on the bed watching each step without a sound. Once Aria was ready to go, he guided her gently.

"We have to try and get him to keep the stray," Aria said, almost in tears again.  
"You know Grif, he won't let the stray stay," Replied Chris, his heart nearly breaking at the thought of the tens of people they found, only to share a meal, then send them on their way.

They continued the rest of the journey in silent anticipation, planning what they were going to say to Griffin.

Griffin sat at the table, readying himself for the next person he would have to disappoint. Chris and Aria sat opposite each other, nodding at Griffin at the head of the table. His hands were folded in his lap, waiting for Charlotte. Said girl shuffled in clutching her note book, a pen resting over her ear with her glasses, she sat down next to Aria, then began writing furiously.

Really, they were all just one big family. Griffin knew, however, that their big 'family' was getting harder and harder to look after, which is why he always turned down strays.

Callie strode in, her arm wrapped protectively around a thin, tall boy. Griffin regarded the boy cooly. No sense in building a already destroyed relationship. He stood, ready to make his speech, bracing himself for the aftermath.

"Hello...?" He began.  
"Gideon."  
"We welcome you to our ship, feel free to enjoy yourself, but I would like to remind you we cannot keep you. You are what 20? Old enough to look after yourself." Griffin stated.  
"S... sorry, sir, I am 17..." Stuttered Gideon, blinking rapidly.

Everyone around the table stared at the boy in disbelief. None of them had seen his face, just assumed he was 20 because of his height. Callie leaned over and tilted his head up. All became clear, he had the most beautiful blue eyes, so deep, with light flecks of green. His dark hair, a wavy mane, hiding his shy face. He had a scar on his cheek, small, but still noticable, but his main feature was his eyes, Griffin was drunk in them. Unable to take any more, Griffin tore his eyes away. This boy was a distraction, and distractions could get them killed. He had to go.

Griffin bathed in a shower of complaints from his freinds, but was surprised to see thar the boy said nothing. He quietly finished up his food, then waited silently for everyone to do the same.

"I... I understand you cannot look after me, thank you for everything," Gideon said. His voice was as quiet as a mouse. Griffin had to strain to hear it, he nodded, firmly, cutting of all the remarks from his freinds. The boy had to leave, and he would.

* * *

Aria woke up, her night had been sleepless. Thinking about poor Gideon, leaving them this morning, with nowhere to go...

Breakfast came and went in silence, everyone deliberatly avoiding the topic of Gideon. Gideon himself sat quietly, causing no trouble, and only thanking people when he decided to talk. Aria began to wonder if he could even speak English. Her thoughts ran to Griffin. He seemed to be even more hell-bent on getting rid of the stray than normal, he seem awfully stressed.

Chris found Aria curled up, drawing in her well-used sketch book. "Ari, it's time to say bye to Gideon."  
Aria looked up then smiled sadly at Chris.  
"I can't believe Grif is sending him out - he's my age!" She said. Her hands crept to the hairband she kept on her wrist.  
"Well, I hope he'll do okay..."  
"Yeah."  
The both walked out to the ship's door, where Gideon stood, and began their goodbyes.

Griffin watched from afar, afraid of what he would say. All night he had tossed and turned, imagining Gideon outside in the cold with no food or water. Those mysterious blue eyes filled with fear and desperation... No! He was doing the right thing, they would not be able to survive if they had another mouth to feed. But what a perfect mouth it was...

Griffin turned and stalked off to his room, where he swore to stay in for the rest of the day.

A knock on his door wrenched Griffin out of his peaceful sleep.

"Come in!" He growled, it was Callie. "What?"  
"It's Mick's crew..."  
Griffin groaned, Mick and his crew were scavengers, they would do anything to get food or supplies, even kill.  
"Well? What do they want?"  
"They want 6 bags of rice and 6 bags of pasta!" Callie winced, that was they most the had ever asked for.  
"Tell them no!" Griffin half shouted.  
Callie seemed to have an internal fight with herself, but finally breaking the pause, she whispered, "I would, but the thing is, they've got Gideon..."

**ibliniy: Darlings, it's us again! I hope you like the cliffie.**

**venividivici10: Yeah. Don't worry, there won't be too many OCs. It's getting hard for me to remember what all my characters look like...**

**ibliniy: AND we've still got to do-**

**venividivici10: SHUT UP! NO SPOILERS! See you next chapter, faithful readers and flamers.**


	3. Chapter 3

**ibliniy: Hey! This is the third chapter! There will be a plot twist, and a lot of swearing...**

**venividivici10: Courtesy of moi. **

**ibliniy: Yeah... that's where I got my language from. It will mainly be from Trinity. There will also be some temporary OCs, who aren't really important to the main story line, but I'll add in a few descriptions anyway. **

**venividivici10: What do you think of the crew on the Shadow? You know what, I don't care, I'm just asking to give you something to review about. By the way, Aria is named in honour of PLL (the books). **

**ibliniy: That's how she usually is, so don't mind her. Just go check out our profiles, and if you see a story you like, read and review, K? I'll give you an internet cookie... (::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)(::)**

**venividivici: Piss off with the cookies. No-one likes them. **

**ibliniy and venividivici10 xxx**

The last thing Neo remembered was darkness. He had contained Smith inside of his programming. And then he was deleted by the AI. He had been cold, and it had been dark.

And now it was light, light and warm. The ground was soft and warm as well. He kept his eyes shut, wanting to stay in his tranquil state a little longer. The wind whisked gently around him, making the hairs on his arms stand up. It was a strange-but pleasant-sensation. It felt so _real._

Real. Reality. Neo's eyes snapped open. This was not real. The entire world out there was shrouded in darkness, in the middle of an everlasting electrical storm. Light and wind was not real. Needless to say, Neo panicked.

He sat up, looking around wildly. "Shit. Shit, shit, SHIT!" He cursed, scrambling off the ground. He was still dressed in the things he had when he'd died, they were still torn and ragged. He was in the Matrix-AGAIN. So he saves the world and gives up his sight...

Only to end up in the one place he hated.

Moodily, he kicked the ground, hating the reality of it. It was nothing but stupid, fucking code. Everything was code. He scoffed angrily, and went back down on his knees, at the same time plunging his hand into the soft dirt to turn it into a water bottle. He was thirsty. He closed his eyes and began concentrating, giving every fibre of his fake being into making a water bottle.

"It's not going to work." The voice was soft and calm. Neo jumped up, instantly reaching for his gun. He didn't pull it out of its holster, but rested his hands on it, reassured. He began taking in the woman standing before him.

She looked about 35, 40, slightly older than Neo. Her brown hair was tied up into a ponytail, and she was wearing a track suit. Her skin was brown, and was a stark contrast against the white sky. The way she stood, the way she was smiling at him, made her look quite motherly. Slowly, Neo loosened his grip in his gun.

"Who are you?" he asked suspiciously.

The woman smiled at him, and replied, "Maria. Head of the SS Dauntless. Do you want a drink?" She held out a bottle.

Neo looked at it with some apprehension, but Maria didn't seem offended, she just kept on smiling. "I haven't poisoned it, you know. I'm human, what would I have against you?"

She did prove a good point, and he was thirsty. But he didn't let that override his common sense yet. He took it, and opened the cap, breathing in the contents. It seemed fine, but Neo's raging thirst finally took over and he drank it all.

"Sorry," he muttered, handing the empty bottle back. "I didn't mean to drink it all."

"It's fine," Maria laughed. "Come on, you better meet the rest of the crew, Neo." She took his hand, much like how a mother might lead her child down the street, and began guiding him towards the light. He frowned against it.

"Where are we?"

"The Lost Land," she answered. "We're not inside the matrix anymore Neo."

Neo stopped. "What?"

She smiled and gestured to the world behind her. "Welcome to the world beyond the machines."

As Neo walked on the path, he realized he could see people. People everywhere, coming to greet him, congratulating him on making it there, working the land. Girls, boys, men, women, children, all laughing and talking, perfectly content and undisturbed. Even the matrix wasn't this great.

Finally, they arrived at a mansion. "This is Henkel Hall," Maria explained. "It's where we make all the decisions. The living area is just beyond that, and the industrial workers are on the west side of it. On the east we have our science and tech, making vaccines and developing new weapons."

One word caught Neo's attention. "Weapons?"

Maria smiled that motherly smile. "Yes silly! Weapons. You don't think there isn't any rebelling from the sentinels, do you? That's silly... They were built for war."

Another voice interrupted. "HEY MUM! Who you got there?" A young thin man approached.

"This is Neo, Neo this is Dante," Maria introduced. Dante stuck out a hand, pushing his glasses further up the bridge of his nose.

"How are you? Oh, OH! What d'you do to get here? Did you DIE?" Dante asked eagerly, pumping Neo's hand up and down. Maria hit him on the arm.

"Give him some time to adjust," she scolded playfully. "Now go find Storm and Fighter... We need them to find potential candidates." She shooed the over eager young man away, and continued leading Neo inside Henkel Hall.

"He was nice," smiled Neo. It was nice to see some happy young people, instead of the solemn faces and dead bodies he had been confronted with everyday. "What exactly am I going to do?"

"That's what we're going to decide," she replied, and pushed open the huge doors of main reception.

**ibliniy: OK, I'm done for the night. If you want stuff, go somewhere else. Venividivici10 will do the stuff.**

**venividivici10: Who says I will?**

**ibliniy: Just review, yeah? Even if it just says hi, or "YOU'RE SO CRAP GET OFF THE WEBSITE!"**

**venividivici10: ...**

**Laters,**

**venividivici10 and ibliniy**


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